The world news is distinguished from the local, regional or national news by its wider area of coverage and interested population. In countries like the U.S., the news is taken as national news if any American military, political or business interest is involved in it, regardless of the geographical origin of the news-making event. In fact prior to 9/11, common Americans were quite indifferent towards world news. It was only the American scientists, strategists, tourists and sports persons who were alive to the world situation. However after 9/11 common Americans have a different vision of the world and probably they realize the importance of the news relating to other countries as well. News about foreign countries are obtained either through foreign correspondents employed by important news papers, or from special envoys, assigned to cover a special subject and stationed temporarily in the location of interest.

1. Â Death of Margaret Thatcher/Monday, 8 April 2013

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher was born to Alfred Roberts and Beatrice Ethel on October 13, 1925 in Grantham, England. She died of a stroke on the morning of April 8, 2013 at the age of 87 years. Since December 2012, she had been living at the Ritz Hotel. She was given a ceremonial funeral with military honor, with a church service on April 17, 2013 at St Paul’s Cathedral. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attended the funeral. She was the prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1979. She was the longest serving prime minister of the twentieth century. She was named as an Iron Lady by a Soviet journalist on account of her rigid leadership style. She suffered from a series of minor strokes in 2002, after which she stopped public speaking under medical advice.

2. Boston Marathon Blasts/April 15, 2013

Boston Marathon Blasts

On April 15, 2013, two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people: Martin Richard, Lingzi Ly and Krystle Campbell. Two hundred and sixty-four people were injured. The bombs exploded in the afternoon. The next day FBI identified the suspects as the Chechen brothersÂ Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. President Obama said on the occasion â€œWe still do not know who did this or why, and people shouldn’t jump to conclusions before we have all the facts, but make no mistake: We will get to the bottom of this. Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice.” FBI released photos and video of the suspects, saying â€œSomebody out there knows these individuals as friends, neighbors, co-workers, or family members. Though it may be difficult, the nation is counting on those with information to come forward and provide it to us,â€ A Watertown resident informed police that someone was hiding in his boat in the backyard. The man was the suspect, Dzhokhar, who was captured.

3.Â World Malaria Day/25 April 2013

World Malaria Day

World Malaria Day was observed by WHO member states on April 25, 2013. Its theme was Invest in the Future: Defeat Malaria. The need for more investment and continued political commitment was emphasized. New donors were invited to join the institution. Although notable progress has been made to control malaria during the last decade, the target is still far away. Malarial mortality rates have fallen by 25% and about half of the member countries have achieved the set targets. Diagnostic testing and quality treatment have played important roles in making the progress. In spite of this, more than 660,000 people are killed due to malaria annually. Every year more than 200 million cases of malaria are recorded, while the occurrence is actually more than that, as many of the cases are never registered.

4. Â Discovery of exoplanets/April 18, 2013

Discovery of exoplanets

On April 18, 2013 NASA announced the discovery of earth-like exoplanets, called Kepler-62e,Â Kepler-62f, andÂ Kepler-69c. They are situated in the habitable zone, or, in other words, they may contain liquid water which may support life. These planets have as their host stars Kepler-62Â andÂ Kepler-69. The exoplanets are the planets outside the solar system. The newly discovered exoplanets are considered to have potential for supporting liquid water. Kelper Spacecraft was used to identify these planets. NASA has a plan to launch a space observatory in 2017 to survey exoplanets. The $200 million mission is named Transiting Exoplanets Survey Satellite, TESS.

5. Functional lab-grownÂ kidney transplant/April 15, 2013

Functional lab-grown kidney transplant

On April 15, 2013, Dr. Harald Ott of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Regenerative Medicine, broke the news that scientist have, for the first time, implanted a laboratory grown kidney in a rat. It is considered a milestone in the history of regenerative medicine. It is hoped that it may lead to the full organ transplant in human beings. Regenerative medicine is the name given to process of regenerating or replacing a cell, tissue or a whole organ to restore normal functioning. The transplant is considered a major breakthrough in the relatively new field of regenerative medicine.

6. Texas fertilizer plant explosion/April 17, 2013

Texas fertilizer plant explosion

On April 17, 2013 an explosion followed by fire caused huge life and property loss at the West Fertilizer Company storage and distribution facility. Fifteen people were killed, 160 were injured and 150 buildings were damaged or destroyed totally. The facility is located to the north of Waco at a distance of twenty nine kilometers. The cause of explosion was assigned to ammonium nitrate, stored in the facility. The company was founded in 1962 and is currently owned by Adair Grain, Inc. Associated Press reported that the company has a history of fines imposed for violation of respiratory protection standards. The news immediately attracted the attention of international media, because the U.S. is considered to be a relatively safe country in the world, which clearly was not the case with this company.

7. Dutch prince becomes king/30 April 2013

Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands

On April 30, 201, the 46-year-old Willem-Alexander, heir apparentÂ to the throne of the Netherlands, ascended the throne and became the first King of the Netherlands after the death of William IIIÂ in 1890. William Alexander became the King when his mother, Queen Beatrix, abdicated the throne after a 33-year reign, on her 75th birthday. At the time of ascending the throne of the Netherlands, he was the youngest monarch in Europe. The event was televised and celebrated with great excitement throughout the State. The worldâ€™s largest flea market, a type of bazaar, was held as a part of celebration.

8. Bangladesh Factory Building Collapses/April 24, 2013

Bangladesh Factory Building Collapses

On April 24, 2013 a complex in Bangladesh, known as Rana Plaza and comprising of several garment factories, collapsed, killing 377 people with many missing under the rubble. It was the deadliest accident in the history of garment industries. Bangladesh is next only to China in the making of clothing for American and European retailers. The owner of the complex, Sohel Rana, was captured while he was hiding near Indian border. Rescue operation continued for five days, due to difficulties arising from the intermittent fire eruption from the debris.

9. North Korea Defies UN Warnings/April 1 2013

North Korea Defies UN Warnings

Ignoring the UN warnings to abandon nuclear weapons or to face stricter sanctions, the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced on April 01, 2013 that he had plans to expand its nuclear program to strengthen countryâ€™s economy. He announced his program in an unusual meeting of central committee. On April 4, 2013 U.S. announced its deployment of a missile defense system to Guam as a preventive measure. On April 5, 2013 a U.S. Official informed CNN that two medium range missiles were loaded on the mobile launchers on the east coast of North Korea. Yonhap, a semi official South Korean news agency, citing military resources, said that the missiles were hidden in some unidentified location and were ready to be test fired but not targeted against any opponent.

10. Earth quake, April 16, 2013

Earth quake, April 16, 2013

A very strong earthquake of magnitude 7.8 shook Iran, Pakistan, the Middle East and India on April 16, 2013 at 10:44:20.0 UTC. The epicenter of the earthquake was the southeastern city of Kash near Pakistan; according to Associated Press more than forty people were killed in Pakistan and more than thirty people were killed in Iran. Almost all the residents of Iran and Pakistan felt the earthquake. People vacated buildings in large cities like Karachi. On account of its short duration, the effected areas were saved from an unimaginable devastation that otherwise could have been caused by an earthquake of 7.8 magnitude.

Conclusion

The newspapers having permanent foreign correspondents include WallÂ (US),Â New York TimesÂ (US),Â Financial TimesÂ (UK),Â Washington PostÂ (US), The GuardianÂ (UK),Â The Daily TelegraphÂ (UK), andÂ Los Angeles TimesÂ (US). War correspondents belong to special envoys. Christiane Amanpour was the famous chief international correspondent at CNN. Natural calamities always make world news and bring all the people of the world closer together.